A Whole Lotta Love, Herbs at SHED and Mojitos at Young & Yonder Healdsburg

Spent last Saturday in the North Bay touring the foodie scene in Healdsburg California. My husband Ken and I had the best day exploring the SHED Market, Costeaux French Bakery, and Young &Yonder Distillery. On the way home we stopped off at The Urban Tree Farm Nursery, Sift Bakery and at Aunt Molly’s house in Cotati.

 

If you’ve never been to Healdsburg, then just go. It’s a vibrant town bursting with restaurants, wine tasting, and breweries like Healdsburg Beer Company, and Bear Republic Brewing Company. We settled for a more “spirit”ual day by having cocktails at Young and Yonder Distillery.

But first, we had to spend time at the coolest place around the SHED. This place is a foodie and gardeners dream offering a market, a cafe’, and a community gathering space. Not only do they offer workshops such as the one coming up from Apiarist Michael Thiele on honeybees, or a cheese tasting class by expert Janet Fletcher, but they offer so much more.

I could walk around there for hours reading cookbooks like “The Art of Fermentation”, by Sandor Ellix Katz, “The Baker’s Appendix” by Jessica Reed, “Small-Scale Grain Raising” by Gene Logsdon and numerous others. It would be awesome to grind my own organic flour someday so I don’t have to worry about the current state of toxic farming in the US.

 

The SHED sells beautiful pottery to serve your elegant gourmet dishes on, rose geranium, lavender oatmeal and coffee mint scented soaps that would be the perfect hostess gift. Luckily, I have my apricot jam to gift when we go to dinner at friends’.

 

In addition to all these fine goods, Saturday brunch was happening, so we got a few snapshots of their menu items. We would have stayed, but there was so much more to see and do before heading off the tree farm  before it closed. I was impressed with their fresh herbs like lemon balm, purslane, dill, parsley, squash blossoms, sunflower greens, nasturtium, borage, and marigold most of which I grow in my own garden. Here’s a glimpse of my edible flower cocktail class that I taught to my garden club back in May of last year.

 

I could go on for hours about the SHED’S cheese and charcuterie selection, their juice bar, coffee bar, fresh country bread, fresh cut dahlias, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, and fragrant roses for all of us to be tempted by. I’m sure I’m leaving out plenty, but make a day of it and check it out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

 

 

Lucky for us, we happened upon Young & Yonder Spirits where I had to sample owners Joshua and Sarah Opatz’ Absinthe Mojito. The absinthe is distilled with non-GMO corn, russian river water, anise seed, star anise, fennel, wormwood, coriander, ginger, lemon peel, tarragon, peppermint, lemongrass and eucalyptus.  They add fresh lime, fresh mint, simple syrup and ice to the absinthe and it was super refreshing. I’m loving serving mojitos to my guests when I entertain these days since I now have mint from the garden and lots of fresh citrus from Costco or if I’m lucky, my son Curtis’ backyard tree.

 

Joshua let me peek around the corner and photograph his dried herb and spice collection at Young and Yonder. He had shelves of glass jars full of botanicals like angelica root, sarsaparilla, dried pluots, cedar berries, dried bing cherries and figs, holy basil, honeysuckle flowers, California poppy seeds, lemon balm, rose hips, calendula and more. This week I’ve listened to a podcast on herbs called Remedy the Secret Science. It’s fascinating getting educated on how herbs can help you with sleep, stress and anxiety, healing your immune system, how to sharpen memory, curing lyme disease, solving cardiovascular disease  and depression and reversing cancer.

 

Many of the herbs that  I listed above were featured in the podcast, so purchasing a couple of bottles of their aromatic spirits was a no brainer. Besides, these herbaceus gins, vodkas, and bourbons would make great gifts.

 

Of course, I had to get a few bakery items at Costeaux Bakery for us to nibble on in the car on the way home. I bought a baguette w ham and cheese, a palmier cookie, and a coconut macaroon for us to share since we didn’t have time to sit down and eat. My husband was excited to purchase two new trees from the Urban Tree Farm in Windsor and we had limited time before they closed.

 

Lastly, we picked up some cupcakes and macaroons at Sift Bake Shop in Cotati before dropping in on Aunt Molly. We learned that Molly had just come home from the hospital after having heart rhythm complications. She  and her son Michael were happy to see us especially because we came bearing a “lemony snicket” a vanilla cake lemon curd filling w lemon buttercream frosting cupcake, and “Ooh la la” the classic red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting cupcake, and a few macarons. Molly shared  stories about Ken’s Mom and Dad’s wedding day and we enjoyed the visit very much. Taking the time to visit our relatives is something my husband and I take pride in. Especially since we lost one of my aunts recently.

 

 

 

So if you find yourself looking for something fun to do, and your not too far from the California wine country, go hang out in Healdsburg. We barely scratched the surface and had so much more territory to explore. If you need more proof, check out my last trip to Healdsburg with my niece Michelle. It was a barrel of a good time drinking and eating our way through town.

Since you’ve read till the end, I will treat you with a tour of my Mom’s garden.

If you would like to receive more of my blogs on travel and food please sign up. You will get an email notifying you when I post next. I will also be sharing many of my recipes with you.  Thanks for stopping by.

Teri

 

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Family Foodie Vacation and Art in Truckee

Spent my birthday weekend at my sister’s friends house in Truckee last weekend. It was a fun filled time hiking, sleeping in (my favorite), board games, barbecuing nice meals and checking out Northstar Resort and The Ritz-Carlton Resort. My sister Susan, her friend Lori, my husband Ken, my and niece Marie and nephew Vince were able to change around their work schedules so they could stay with us too. 

We hiked around Spooner lake with the two dogs and stayed nice and cool in the tall trees. The dogs loved getting in the lake while we watched for local birds like the white headed woodpecker, kestrels, steller’s jay, barn swallows and many others. Birding is one of my favorite hobbies and it’s fun to find new species when I travel.

Marie bought me a “birthday” marion berry pie from Ikeda’s and it was scrumptious. She and my sister wanted to bake me a cake, but that’s a tall order to make a cake for a pastry chef. And we were all having so much fun playing outside and relaxing on their deck to bake in a hot kitchen.

The highlight of the trip was hanging out at the Northstar California Resort. They offer mountain biking, hiking, golf, Kids Adventure Camp, Mini Golf, and something called Kid Zone. There’s even a roller skating rink open during the summer for families that like that kind of thing. What we loved were the full body massages that were offered by Jackie at Tahoe Yoga and Wellness Center. This business gives yoga classes too, some of which I have attended.  Marie and I made appointments that morning and got right in. Now that’s the way to end a fun getaway weekend feeling all relaxed and pampered.

Next we drove up the hill to explore lunch options at the Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe. After all we were celebrating my birthday weekend and I’m always up for checking out 5 star hotels. This place was incredible inside and out. Very family oriented also, the outside seating at the Manzanita Restaurant included frisbees so kids could play in the nearby grass while waiting for their food. What a luxury to be able to have a conversation with your spouse and know your kids aren’t bored out of their mind. And they had a art show displaying famous artists inside the hotel. 

The food was simple but delicious. The three of us shared the turkey club served warm with organic turkey, gruyère cheese, pecan-wood bacon, pickled onion, lettuce, tomato, and herb Mayonnaise. We also ordered the Mediterranean salad with loads of salty goat cheese, cherry tomatoes and nicely brined kalamata black olives.
It was exciting sitting outside when the rain started to come down in buckets. We were under a covered patio, so it was pleasant enough. We realized that anything can happen when you are in the mountains at high altitude. Taking time to visit with my niece and nephew on this vacation was priceless. We are so lucky to have family that lives in the Truckee area. Maybe next time our own kids will join us.

Fennel, Chive and Heirloom Tomato Green Salad

 

Ingredients:

1 Head of Organic lettuce washed and torn to large bite sized pieces

1 carrot peeled and shredded

¼ bulb fennel sliced thinly (saving the dill like fronds to top for decoration)

2 T chives finely chopped (saving the florets for top to decorate)

1 C chopped red and yellow heirloom tomatoes from the garden

 

Directions:

Place greens in a large bowl. Sprinkle remaining veggies onto greens and toss saving dill fronds and chive florets for the top. Place salad plates in fridge earlier in the day. 

Serves 7

Apricot White Balsamic Salad Dressing

 

Ingredients:

 

1 T Dijon Mustard

2 T Organic Blenheim Apricot Preserves

¼ C White Balsamic Vinegar (or Champagne Vinegar)

1 T grapeseed oil

1 t minced shallot

2 t minced garlic

1 T local honey

1 orange/lime/ or lemon freshly squeezed

½ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

In a small saucepan, saute shallots and garlic in 1 T grapeseed oil on medium heat until soft and translucent. Add honey.

Place dijon mustard and apricot jam in a small to medium size bowl. Add sauteed shallots, garlic and honey. Add balsamic vinegar, citrus, salt and pepper and stir. Slowly incorporate olive oil in a steady stream while whisking. Set in fridge until ready to eat salad. Nothing worse than bruised and wilted lettuce, so don’t put dressing on until last minute and toss lightly after pouring dressing around edges of inside of the bowl. This way, all lettuce gets covered evenly.

Thanks for reading my blog today and make sure to sign up to get my future posts with recipes and recent foodie adventures.

 

 

Father’s Day in Napa, 80th Birthday Casino Style and Fudge in Truckee

Father’s Day weekend ended up being a huge success. I spoiled my dad by taking him to a restaurant in Napa for lunch, the movies to see Solo: A Star Wars Story and made him his favorite steak dinner. Then my family went on to celebrate my Dad’s 80th birthday at Twin Pines Casino in Middletown, California about 2 hours from my home.

 

The South Kelly Grill menu

We sat at this bar and got a front row seat

South Kelly Grill was a fun way to spend our Father’s Day brunch. Even though there was a huge line out the door we were able to sneak in and sit at the bar. You see, my dad has no patience and would not have been able to wait even 10 minutes. So we were lucky to ask some patrons if they wouldn’t mind scooting over, so dad and I could sit together. They graciously accommodated us and we got to ordering since we were famished.

 

Here”s the dessert menu

gorgeous roses adorned the counter

 

Steak and Eggs

Chicken and waffles

 

 

Dad had steak and eggs, and I heard great things about their fried chicken and waffles, so I decided to settle on that. It’s always a good sign if a restaurant has a wait, so I was pleasantly surprised when the food came out and saw how perfectly everything was plated. The place was bustling and the interior décor has a country vibe that was fun and friendly. Dad enjoyed his meal, but my fried chicken tasted like baked frozen chicken nuggets!  Super disappointed, but the waffles made up for it. The portions were HUGE and the waitress attended to our every need. I would go back.

 

This is where my dad and I ate on Father’s Day 2018

The inside decor at South Kelly Grill makes you feel at home

When we finally made it to my house,  my husband Ken and son Andrew took dad to see Star Wars. They all loved it, and I made it to Costco to pick up a skirt steak. After the movie, Ken barbequed and both my son’s came over for dinner to celebrate Father’s Day. It’s always a treat to have my boys over at the same time.

Dadio and Sister Sue taking a quick pic before driving North

The next day, my sister Sue and I drove Dad to his favorite place Twin Pines Casino where we met up with my brother Rick. The three of us took turns sitting by Dad who was in heaven playing the slot machines. We ate at the fairly priced Manzanita Restaurant on site and we were happy about their selection and large portions. The four of us stayed one night, my brother sleeping in a room w my dad and Sue and I in an adjoining room. Dad loved gambling at his favorite casino and was happy to spend his 80th birthday with his kids. To top off all the fun, Dad won a $1000.00 jackpot at 6:30AM the next morning on his actual birthday! What a way to turn 80! Dad was thrilled and was happy to have his daughter Julie join us for lunch. All four of his kids were there to enjoy time with dad. It couldn’t have gone any better.

My brother Rick dropped our exhausted Dad off back at the Yountville Veterans Home, and had to head home to his wife and three year old. The rest of us Sue, Julie and I drove 3.5 hours to Truckee California. We stopped for dinner at 1882 Bar and Grill where we relaxed with cocktails and enjoyed salads and burgers for dinner.

We settled in at my sister’s friend’s place for the night and woke up at a decent hour to take the 5 mile walk into town along the river. It’s a beautiful path adorned with wild flowers and singing birds. Truckee is a fun place to shop, dine and wander in and around the many art galleries. 

From the left my sister Sue, me and sister Julie taking a quick selfie along the Truckee River.

We enjoyed a late breakfast at Jax’s Restaurant where I shared an espresso chocolate mocha shake with my sisters. They were to die for! Probably the best shake I’ve ever had.  I had fun showing my artsy sister Julie  Atelier an amazing craft store. They sell gorgeous yarns for knitting, painting supplies and dozens of books to inspire you to get busy with your hands. I’m totally inspired when I walk in and see the colorful calligraphy projects and excited about their mostly sold out workshops like floral arranging or their knit and sip classes. So fun!

Inside of Atelier where crafters are in heaven

Truckee is known for it’s summer street festivals held on Thursdays June through August. There’s live music, great food, beer and activities for the kids. It’s not to be missed. My favorite pastry is found here too. It’s called a “Crispy” loaded with apple, berry, or cherries. Yum! We also walked into Sweets Handmade Candies store and enjoyed watching a guy make fudge. OMG. And their toffee looked amazing too. Here’s my blog and recipe for the best toffee ever. If you’d like to know more about the goings on in Truckee check out truckee.com/events for more information.

Here’s a glimpse into what Truckee has to offer

The trip was unfortunately cut short since I had to get home to attend a “Where the Wild things Are” themed baby shower for some good friends. But I will be back to Truckee in the next two weeks to celebrate my birthday. Stay tuned…

 

Are you celebrating any milestone birthdays or going anywhere special this summer? If so, we would all love to hear about them in the comments below. And feel free to follow my blog by subscribing. I would love to share more of my food and travel experiences with you as well as some of my favorite recipes.

 

 

 

 

It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere in Yountville, [but go early for a foodie day]

Enjoyed a getaway vacation last week with my girlfriend Cathy. I decided it was time to show her around the Napa Valley. Today’s blog will be all about our adventures wine tasting and eating our way through the vineyards. It truly is my “happy place.”

What a day it was. Cathy and I started out touring her own vegetable garden in Alamo. I was impressed by her ability to make every space a pleasure to look at. Cathy is an interior decorator by trade. She had her own successful business for many years in the Bay Area. Her and her husband raised their kids in Alamo and we met while our boys were in Junior High at Stone Valley Middle School. And she is a chef and foodie like me, so it is awesome that we’ve stayed in touch over the years.

Back to the adventure…First we stumbled upon Saintsbury located in the Carneros Valley. We learned that the tasting fee was $35.00 each and would take an hour. We had big plans for the day and couldn’t spare the time, so onward we went.

Poppies at Etude

Swallows nests at Etude

Backroads transportation

California Poppies at Etude

Around the corner was Etude Winery. They are also a bit on the snobby side trying to charge us for the one person tasting fee even though Cathy was purchasing two bottles of their 2016 Chardonnay. After I explained that I was a food blogger, our pourer graciously took off the $25.00 fee. It was a beautiful day and we were very surprised to see a huge spread of salads, various cheeses, bread, and an enormous meat platter for very hungry Backroads bicyclists. These people come from all over the world to experience what the wine country has to offer. Great fun!

Front entrance on Bistro Don Giovani

Inside restaurant

Bowl of lemon display

After tasting at Etude (I had a couple of sips cause I was the designated driver), and seeing their glorious wild poppy garden and listening to the swallows nesting in their mud houses, we stopped off at Bistro Don Giovnanni. There we imbibed in glasses of pinot grigio from luna vineyards in Napa, and their Fritto Misto w calamari, rock shrimp, fennel, onions green beans w a spicy aioli. We had a big day planned, so we opted to save our appetite for later. Cathy had never been to this restaurant and she was delighted by our Italian server and their generous hospitality. They even offered us coupons for tastings at the new winery nextdoor!

Heart of Yountville and Cathy

Yountville shuttle

After our luxurious break, we went on ahead to the cute town of Yountville. After parking in the shade, we walked along the main street where we talked to the women at the information center. They had lots of ideas for us of wineries to drive to, but I was content to show Cathy what Yountville had to offer. First we checked out The Spa at the Estate Villagio Inn where we were offered a tour of the spa. It was fun smelling their lotions and seeing what spa packages they had to offer. We learned they are currently under renovations to upgrade their accommodations.

Next we stepped into the extraordinary JCB Tasting Salon . Jean-Charles Boisset’s tasting experience was over the top. They offered us a Gala Brut Champagne and the No 50 Brut Blanc de Blanc, Burgundy and a $200 bottle of wine tasting since it was already open. Fabulous! We were spoiled rotten by Daniela who also took us on a private tour of the luxury JCB Salon Prive’ located next door. It has an opulence about it that the decorator in Cathy adored.

decor at JCB Salon Prive’

Onward to Bardessono Hotel and Lucy Restaurant . It’s normally a $50.00 charge to open a bottle of wine from home, but our generous waiter erased that fee and allowed me to bring in a picnic. The wine, cheese, nuts and fruit were just what we needed to relax in the outdoor patio. Cathy was ready for their cosmopolitan cocktail to make a splash and bring on the warm Yountville evening. She liked it so much, she ordered a second!

Outdoor patio and bar sitting area

Gugger Petty’s portrait of a young man made w newspaper and mixed media. Can be purchased for $6,800 at Andrea Schwartz Gallery in SF.

A walk through the gardens at The French Laundry was our last stop. Here we spotted a few butterflies, artichoke plants, strawberry plants and rows and rows of glorious organic greens. I would love to enjoy a meal there someday since Thomas Keller the owner and Executive chef of tfl is my idol.

 

Gorgeous flower displayed in tfl lobby

wine cellar tfl

It was a day to remember for sure, and I can’t wait to experience Napa and St Helena again soon. You should too. Is there a secret get away place you want to tell me about? I want to hear all about it in the comments below. Sign up for my blog by including your email, and I promise to never leave you out of my upcoming food and travel blogs. Here’s my latest on Carmel California.

 

Have a Little Art, Wine and Plenty of Pastries in Carmel California

This is my artist friend Margery and mutual friend Heidi who owns Hippievibetribe.com a bohemian clothing an accessory online store

 My husband and I took  a day trip to Carmel last weekend to see a dear friends’ art show at Anthony “Tony” Vanderploeg’s  Amsterdam. Margery Ammond and I have been friends for many years. She and I met at the neighborhood book club. We spent many hours together pouring over books, as Margery has always been an avid reader. Turns out, Margery is also a fabulous artist.

Front og Gallerie

Inside where Margery’s art is on display

Margery Ammon with the owner of the Gallerie Amsterdam Tony Vanderploeg

But that wasn’t a surprise to me. About 15 years ago, my siblings and I purchased a beautiful painting of Margery’s that was a scene from the Senanque abbey near Gordes France. This portrait oil painting has a huge field of lavender flowers with an abbey in the background. Simply exquisite! My Mother keeps the colorful mural over her fireplace, since lavender flowers are her favorite.

This is Margery’s painting. Such a beautiful piece of art

As you can see Margery’s new pieces are just as gorgeous. This time she paints pictures of butterflies along with gorgeous flowers from her garden. Outstanding work. In the past, she has focused on paintings of vineyards in Napa, and Healdsburg, scenes of Mount Diablo, gorgeous landscapes of Lake Tahoe and also earlier pieces of still lifes of fruit and silver.

I have a huge appreciation for people with these amazing creative skills as I can’t draw a stick figure. But that’s okay, we all have our strengths. Mine happen to be more culinary oriented. And I can’t forget when Margery generously donated her quality pots and pans to me since she bought a new stove which required a whole new set of cookware. So thoughtful of her!

Margery also displays her art in Truckee California at Art Obsessions, in Canada, and in Europe as well. I’m sure you will fall in love with her art like I have. She enjoys painting as a hobby and works very hard on her craft 4 days a week. She loves what she does and it shows. She paints for the joy of seeing vibrant colors on a blank canvas. We met for lunch today to get caught up since she doesn’t attend the book club meetings anymore. She’s too busy painting! Margery‘s smile radiates through the room and she brings joy to everyone around her. How lucky I am to have met her and to have gotten the chance to see her latest art show.  

Front of Carmel Bakery

Chocolate cupcakes!

Raspberry Strudel

Gingerbread Men

If you make a trip to Carmel, be sure to check out the Carmel Bakery. Ken and I stumbled into this special place along our walk through the streets in that cute little town. Since my husband and I had to cut our visit short, we grabbed an ice cream cone and few pastries for the car ride home. This bakery was EVERYTHING! I practically bought one everything that I laid my eyes on. The cherry turnover was delish, as well as the raspberry strudel pastry that my husband devoured before I could get a bite. Of course, I had to taste their gingerbread cookie too. A little disappointing actually. Not as gingery as I would have liked plus it was somewhat dry. The hot chocolate didn’t blow me away,  but it was good and chocolatey nonetheless. I bought my hubby the cheesy pretzel since he loves bread and he gobbled it up right away.

Biscotti, cookies of every variety and chocolate dipped coconut macaroons

My fav! Mint choc chip and Mocha almond fudge

Of course I had to have an ice cream cone

You won’t want to miss out on a day trip to Caramel where you can enjoy lots of art galleries (65 total), get in a winery or two, or grab a coffee from the local bakery before heading out of town. It’s a happening place and worth the two hour drive down the coast.We didn’t make time to visit a winery, but walked by Albatross Ridge and I was sooo tempted.If I didn’t need to help with the driving, I would have been all in.

We even took my son’s dog Hank for a walk on the beach.Caramel is a  dog friendly town, it seems everyone has a puppy. Hank was hoping I would drop my ice cream cone, so he could have a lick or two. That wasn’t going to happen because I’m a mocha almond fudge freak. I’m obsessed.And I didn’t even have to share because my husband doesn’t like chocolate! Score. More for me!

Leave me a comment below about your favorite artist, ice cream flavor or recent adventure. I’d love to hear all about it. Get out there and make it a great day!

 

A Foodie Day in Emeryville and a Visit to Pixar

Met a friend for lunch at Emeryville’s Koja Kitchen for Korean-Japanese fusion food inside the Public Market, then the two of us joined another friend for a tour of Pixar. The  Market was quiet because it was early, but it was similar to the Ferry building in San Francisco, or also Napa’s OxBow Public Market. If you like food, wine and beer and ART you must get yourself to Emeryville.

 

Let’s begin with the various businesses at the Public Market. I found fourteen choices of places to dine, drink or just hang out with a loved one for a cup of coffee at Peets. I passed since I had already had my espresso w steamed milk while driving to this destination, but Peets is definitely my favorite coffee house. Lucky me I had time for a quick pedicure at The Lounge Nail Spa since I arrived an hour early. How convenient was that?

Pauline admiring the Coco art on the back of an employee’s Jeep in the parking lot.

Pauline is my brother in law Hanson’s niece (that’s a mouthful!) and she had asked if we could spend a day at Pixar a few months ago. Pauline is a HUGE Disney fan and has never had a tour before until today. This was my second opportunity to visit Pixar since several months ago when I took a tour with my niece Jasmine.  Here are a couple of pics from our day together.

Jasmine saluting w Woody

This is the building where all the future ideas are being developed. There are seven movies now in the works

Pauline and THe Incredibles

Buzz and Woody from Toy Story

Cars

Pixar is studded with art from the very famous award winning Movie Coco, The Incredibles and many other Disney favorites. It’s truly an animators playground, of which is why Pauline loves it there. She has a degree in animation, yet chooses to work with children in San Francisco as a teacher since in her words, “it is more rewarding.”

More cool art on the way up stairs where no pictures are allowed

The Incredibles Art Work on back wall

This is the auditorium when you first walk in

 

The pathway into the Steve Job’s Building

Pauline excited to see Pixar’s logo lamp

We had a blast walking through the Pixar campus even spotting a famous director. Very cool. The gardens are gorgeous with huge trees and purple blooming irises. One of my favorites since I have them in full bloom in my garden as well.

 

I am fortunate to have connections and visiting privileges to this iconic institution. You can feel the creative energy inside and out of the buildings and know very special things are coming from the brilliant minds of the people who work there. Coming soon is Toy Story 4 and I will be lining up to see that feature film being released in June 2019. My son Andrew had the action figures Woody and Buzz Lightyear back in 1995 when the movie won 3 oscars.

Well, I thought this blog was going to be all about the restaurants that I stumbled upon at the Public Market. I guess I can get a little excited about Disney/Pixar movies too and get sidetracked. Thou you won’t want to miss checking out these dining experiences either. C Casa, Fish Face poke Bar, Hot Italian, Mayo & Mustard, and Mr Dewie’s Cashew Creamery dairy, soy and gluten free just to name a few. And don’t miss trying Paradita Eatery a Peruvian restaurant and stop by Oui Oui! for a light and airy macaron right after. You will want to bring co workers with you to try The Periodic Table’s huge list of local brews, then Shiba Ramen for an authentic fast casual really delicious Japanese ramen bowl.

My raw sushi dish w rice from Koja Kitchen

Plenty of places to choose from at the Market in Emeryville

Of course, many would opt for a vegan dish and would choose an eggplant curry from  Wazwan Indian Cuisine. Or if you are in the mood for sushi, try We Sushi who started out as a food truck.

It was a dream come true to come across this destination before spending the day at Pixar. Our lunch was healthy, reasonably priced, quick and tasty at Koja Kitchen and we had just enough time to make it for our 2PM Pixar tour. I really can’t think of a better way to spend the day.

Maybe you have a favorite new hot spot to hang out in? Are you a Disney fan? Here’s a blog from my recent trip to Disneyland. If so leave your ideas in the comment section below. And thanks for reading this. It means a lot.

Sneak peek from recent Disneyland Adventure

 

 

How we [ate and drank]our way through the Food and Wine Festival in Disneyland

Had a wonderful time vacationing with several family members two weeks ago in Disneyland and Universal Studios in Southern California. The Disney trip is an annual trip that my sister in law Kathleen organizes (there’s 4 nieces, two sister in law’s and my brother in law) and we were all lucky enough to eat, drink and play our way through the California Adventure Food and Wine Festival together. My boys and husband never want to go. I think they are crazy to miss out on all the fun.

This is where we typically stay

Here’s the fam deciding what to order for lunch at the Food and wine Festival

Of course I took tons of pics of the food, the kiosks and what they offered and I was able to sneak a photo with Daniella Malfitano who was getting ready for a cooking demonstration. We tried just about everything from Fried Artichoke Carbonara to their Popcorn Lemonade Cocktail made with Agave Silver Tequila. The Mac and Cheese dish was a big hit and I thoroughly enjoyed the Roasted Asparagus Caesar with crunchy buttery croutons.

The Popcorn Lemonade Cocktail. So fun!

The Mac and Cheese was delish

Here are all the kiosks that were open at the Food and wine Festival

Stage where the food demos are presented

Fun event for the kids

Me and Chef Danielle Malfitano

My niece Jamie was excited to see her College town Chico written up as where the first American Pale Ale was created in 1980. Both of my sisters and another niece Marie also graduated from Chico state so I’m a huge fan. I didn’t know that Sonoma California had the first microbrewery in 1977 made from old dairy tanks. And as of 2018, there are over 900 craft breweries operating in my home town state of California.That’s a lot of BEER. In case you want to see a previous post on the local brewery Calicraft Check out a previous blog.

My niece Jamie and her favorite College town Chico

So many BEER options to choose from

Toasting to the best day ever

 

Plenty of Mimosa Flights were enjoyed by my niece’s Laura and Michelle and they especially loved the Pineapple Juice and Chandon Brut Sparkling Wine.We indulged in the cheese from the Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company , Vella Cheese Company located in Sonoma, and the FisCALini Cheese Company located in Modesto because who doesn’t love cheese.  In fact, I hope to serve a cheese platter on Easter which is this weekend! Maybe I can pick up a few varieties and serve them with my Blenheim apricot jam, candied walnuts, dried fruit and some garlic and olive oil baked sourdough toast. 

My niece Laura and the Korean dishes with kimchi and Mimosa Flight drinks

Nuts and Cheese offerings at the Food and Wine Festival

More about CHEESE

This Festival presented by CA Grown had Beverage Seminars, family friendly demonstrations and programs with Jr Chef competitions daily. There’s truly something for everyone at the Disney California Food and Wine Festival.

Couldn’t help myself but take this photo of the sleeping child in the restaurant. Sums up the Disney experience for sure!

My niece’s Michelle and Laura and their mom Terri-Ann

My niece Keri and her boy friend Sam

We were so excited to learn about the upcoming Pixar Pier featuring an high speed Incredicoaster and a Paint the NIght Parade with characters Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack. I can’t wait. Coming to theaters in June is the latest Incredibles 2. I will definitely be making plans to see that movie.

Well these are just a few of the highlights from my trip. I promise to focus my next blog on our adventures at Universal Studios. I hope you enjoy the fun and entertaining food blog and that I’ve inspired you to bake and cook for your family and friends.

Also- In case you like to garden there is a huge Tomato plant sale coming up in April. Details below.

And here are the many varieties of tomatoes being offered. Get there early because this is a popular event that you won’t want to miss!

http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/files/279701.pdf

I get my vegetable plants there every year. And here is a previous blog on composting.  Maybe I will see you there!

 

Teri